Maple Express | October 22, 2026 — Final Toronto mayoral debate tonight, with nearly 30% of voters open to switching

1. Final Toronto mayoral debate tonight, with nearly 30% of voters open to switching

CP24 hosts the final debate between Brad Bradford and Olivia Chow on Thursday night, and new exclusive polling suggests the race is still fluid. The 90-minute, commercial-free debate, titled "Toronto Decides: The Municipal Debate," starts at 7 p.m. and will include questions submitted by CP24 viewers.

Nanos Research surveyed 762 Toronto residents aged 18 and over for CP24 and CTV News Toronto between Oct. 15 and Oct. 18. It found 13 per cent of respondents are open to changing the candidate they plan to vote for based on debate performance, and another 16 per cent are somewhat open — close to 30 per cent combined. About 45 per cent said they are not open to changing, and nine per cent are somewhat not open.

The same survey previously showed about 16 per cent of respondents were still undecided. Nanos polling released earlier this week put Chow just 3.2 percentage points ahead of Bradford, within the margin of error. "The Toronto mayoral contest may very well be decided in the Chow-Bradford debate showdown," CTV News Chief Data Scientist Nik Nanos said. Cost of living (19 per cent), congestion (16 per cent) and housing affordability (13 per cent) topped the list of issues, while 26 per cent said they most want honesty and transparency from the candidates.

Source

2. More than 176,000 Toronto Crime Stoppers tips leaked in data breach, charity pauses intake

Toronto Crime Stoppers says 176,859 tips submitted between January 2022 and November 2025 were stolen in a data breach earlier this year, along with 14,973 names contained in those tips. The charity announced Wednesday evening that it has temporarily stopped accepting new tips: "Until we have a safer way to protect you, please do not send us tips by phone, online, or through the app."

Chair Sean Sportun said hackers stole data from the P3 tip software in March. Navigate360, which owns the software, told the charity in April that Toronto's data had not been taken, and only in June said it was affected without specifying what was exposed. Sportun said the charity has pressed for answers for months and still has not seen the text of the stolen tips. CBC News first reported the breach on Wednesday.

The "Tip Submit" feature has been removed from its website, the charity asked Navigate360 to suspend intake for Toronto, and the National Anonymous Call Centre has been told to stop accepting new information, including phone calls and online submissions. Sportun apologized for breaking the promise of anonymity that has drawn people to the program since 1984. Toronto police said they have suspended their use of the tip line while a review is conducted.

Source

3. Four soldiers dead after CFB Wainwright fire; officials update today

Officials are set to provide an update today on the devastating fire at a Canadian military base in Alberta that left four soldiers dead and dozens more injured.

Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland of the 1st Canadian Division has said Saturday's blaze began as a grass fire, but a violent windstorm sent flames racing toward soldiers training at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. The fire initially sent 39 wounded to various hospitals; officials said Wednesday that number was down to 27, with 13 in critical condition.

Roughly 150 people attended a vigil late Wednesday at a church in the nearby town of Wainwright, southeast of Edmonton. Prayers were said, songs were sung and the names of those killed were read aloud, followed by a moment of silence. Mayor Bruce Pugh says the last few days have been tough, but activities at the base have started to return to normal.

Source

4. Tour bus catches fire in downtown Toronto, no injuries

No one was injured when a tour bus caught fire in downtown Toronto on Wednesday afternoon. Viewer video sent to CP24 shows the bus engulfed in heavy flames as thick black smoke billows into the air.

Toronto police said crews were called to Front Street West and John Street shortly after 5 p.m. for the fire. It has since been knocked down.

The cause and circumstances of the fire are unknown.

Source

5. Man found dead after shooting in Flamborough

A man was found dead after a shooting in Flamborough, a community north of Hamilton, on Wednesday afternoon. Hamilton police told CTV News that officers responded to a residence on Blackberry Place, near the intersection of Carlisle and Centre roads, at about 1:45 p.m. following reports of a gunshot.

When police arrived, they located a male victim suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say there is currently no threat to public safety. The circumstances behind the shooting are unclear and no suspects have been identified.

Source

6. Niagara Falls drug probe nets over $200K in illicit substances

Niagara Regional Police have seized more than $200,000 worth of illicit drugs, over $30,000 in cash and a Rolex watch in a drug trafficking investigation in Niagara Falls. Investigators launched the probe earlier this month into a suspected trafficking operation in the city.

On Oct. 20, officers arrested one suspect and executed a search warrant at a residence near Zimmerman Avenue and Queen Street. Police seized 811.3 grams of methamphetamine, 710.1 grams of cocaine, 540.9 grams of fentanyl, 70 hydromorphone tablets, 32 suspected oxycodone tablets and 160 suspected dextroamphetamine tablets, with an estimated value of more than $200,000, along with $31,580 in Canadian currency.

Anthony Cristobal, 30, who is from the Greater Toronto Area and was living in Niagara at the time of his arrest, faces several charges including possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000. He also faces separate trafficking-related possession charges. The charges have not been proven in court.

Source

7. 127 kg of cocaine seized at Ambassador Bridge; two Mississauga men charged

The Canada Border Services Agency says two men have been charged after 127 kilograms of suspected cocaine was seized at the Ambassador Bridge crossing in Windsor, Ont. The CBSA alleges the drug was seized from a commercial truck arriving from the United States after it was referred for a secondary examination on Sept. 11.

Officers discovered the cocaine in the truck's trailer with the help of a detector dog. CBSA officers arrested a 61-year-old and a 41-year-old, both from Mississauga, and transferred them to the RCMP.

The RCMP charged both suspects with importation and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The CBSA says its southern Ontario region has seized 1.67 metric tonnes of cocaine so far this year.

Source

8. Canadian government sites and local services go offline amid global PHP vulnerability

Several websites around the world, including Government of Canada sites, went dark as operators raced to patch cracks in a programming language called PHP. Cybersecurity experts call it one of the largest online vulnerability issues they have ever had to fix. "This is quite significant since 70 per cent of public-facing apps and websites use PHP," said tech and cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak.

Montreal's transit authority, the STM, shut down its stm.info website just before noon on Wednesday, confirming it was a precautionary measure against a security risk affecting sites globally. After 2 p.m., visitors were redirected to beta.stm.info. Quebec's liquor commission, the SAQ, also shut down its site as a preventative measure, though it said no breach was detected.

Evan Solomon, Canada's minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation, said some Government of Canada websites were temporarily taken offline as a precaution to protect government systems and Canadians' information, following guidance from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, and will be restored once patches are applied. The EU Agency for Cybersecurity also advised organizations to shut down sites until patched. Artificial intelligence agents helped uncover two critical vulnerabilities in August, and OpenAI said it led a coalition including researchers and security providers to address them.

Source

9. U.S. embassy accuses Canadian politicians of election interference; Carney and Ford push back

The U.S. embassy in Canada released a list of quotes from Canadian politicians on Wednesday which it claims indicate "plans to influence American politics." Industry Minister Mélanie Joly is quoted five times, in excerpts offered without context about pressuring American businesses and targeting U.S. states through counter-tariffs, comments she made while addressing Canada's response to U.S.-imposed tariffs.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford both disputed the suggestion of Canadian interference. Asked about the list at a news conference on Parliament Hill, Carney pointed out that the United States initiated trade actions against Canada, and said after announcing a $9 billion aid package that all Canadian actions are in the interests of Canadian workers, families and the economy.

Ford, who is also quoted, said he has "no interest at all" in interfering in American elections and that Americans want certainty and stability. He noted he spent 20 years in the United States and loves the American people. Americans head to the polls Nov. 3 for midterms. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said earlier this month that American officials are "closely watching" Canadian politicians, and cited political ads run by Ontario last year during an Oct. 14 podcast interview.

Source

10. Waterloo researchers develop sea-cucumber-inspired gel to help heal damaged tendons

A gelatin-based material inspired by sea cucumbers could one day help people recover from tendon injuries, offering a potential alternative to traditional surgical stitches. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a gel designed to support the growth of new tissue in damaged tendons, mimicking the sea creature's ability to change the stiffness and flexibility of its body.

"We get inspiration from sea cucumbers," said Yimin Wu, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Waterloo. He said traditional tendon repairs often rely on sutures, which can contribute to recurring injuries. Postdoctoral researcher Youchao Teng said the team mixes gelatin with water to make a gel and then uses a salt solution to modify it.

In a study involving rats with tendon injuries, researchers found the gel helped new tissue grow in a more organized pattern than stitches alone, and the material is designed to degrade in the human body within eight weeks, avoiding secondary surgery. The technology is still early: Wu said the next step is testing in large animals such as pigs or horses, followed by clinical trials and eventually FDA approval.

Source